As if Ted Williams needed more cred. This dude was likely the best hitter in the history of baseball AND he was a fighter pilot. Oh, and he served in TWO wars … World War II and the Korean War. I mean, can you be a bigger bad-ass than this?
His service in the military took him out of baseball for five seasons during his prime. Imagine the statistics he could have put up with an additional five years! I just can’t even fathom a contemporary baseball player taking time off to serve in the military.
Here’s some awesome trivia for you. During the Korean War, he served in the same Marine Corps unit as John Glenn, who claimed Williams was one of the best pilots he had ever met. Ted also flew as Glenn’s wingman at the tail end of his service in Korea. Not bad when the first American to orbit the Earth calls you a great pilot.
There’s a cool book about his military service available on Amazon if you’re interested in learning a little more. Also, we stumbled upon a cool post here about his service in the military.
Even during wartime, he found time to play some baseball. Check out the photo below of him in a U.S. Navy baseball uniform. Seems a little unfair to have Ted Williams on your team.
Finally, here’s an interesting clip from a documentary about his service flying in Korea.
